Social banking has different definitions in different parts of the world, but its main objective is the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden. The Indian Government has made efforts to start Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and rural cooperative banks to help certain sections of the society by extending financial assistance and making them self-reliant. However, given the fact that India is the second most populated country in the world, much more has to be done to achieve the objective.

A few banks that are more concerned about the social deployment of their funds, may be loans or investments, are known as social banks. These banks, while being regulated by the same authorities who regulate other commercial banks, are more interested in the social benefits earned by their fund allocations rather than on the amount of returns they earn. The deployment of funds is very transparent and many of them are specifically aimed at microfinance only. Of late, many traditional commercial banks are also allocating a portion of their funds to social causes and for the upliftment of the poor, where they have only marginal or no profits at all. While most of them operate both in urban and rural areas, there are some specific banks that have operations only on the countryside. In India, such banks are known as Regional Rural Banks. (RRBs)

In the US, social banks are basically community banks that help in environmental development of the region and philanthropies. Their area of operation is limited to a region or state. Southshore Bank, ShoreBank Pacific and Self Help Credit Union are a few typical examples of the so-called "ethical" American banks.

In the UK, social banking comprises banks like the Charity Bank, Cooperative Bank and Smile Bank that are very selective in lending as far as the projects are concerned, refusing to lend to weapons traders, genetic engineering, animal testing laboratories, etc., and even offering interest-free loans to deserving customers who maintain a clean credit history.

Professional Banker Magazine, Social Banking, Regional Rural Banks, RRBs, Social Deployment, Public Sector Banks, Reserve Bank of India, RBI, Co-operative Banks, Self-Help Groups, SHGs, Non-Governmental Organizations, NGOs, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, NABARD, Kisan Credit Cards, KCC, Securitization and Asset Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest, SARFASI.